The deal with Tennis Australia is a blow to the long-term rights holder, Seven, which counts on the Open as an annual springboard into the ratings period.

In a statement, Nine said the five-year deal was worth $60 million a year and would cover the Australian Open and lead-up tournaments around the country – the Hopman Cup in Perth, and the Brisbane, Sydney and Hobart Internationals.

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Tennis Australia CEO Craig Tiley said Nine’s commitment to year-round tennis programming was one of the reasons the network won the rights.

“Four years ago we brought the host broadcast for the Australian Open and all our events in-house and this success has allowed us to unlock even more value in our domestic media rights,” he said.

“Our objective going into this process was a growth plan for exposure across the key planks of both tennis and non-tennis content, and the Nine offer best met these requirements. Nine’s commitment to additional tennis programming year-round was also aligned to our strategy.”

Nine CEO Hugh Marks said: “The timing of tennis and the audience demographics it delivers are a perfect fit for Nine and its advertisers.”

more to come

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